The Andrew Davidson Interview: Broughton faces a turbulent ride at BA

The British Airways chairman says it should compete on service, not price. Will shareholders at his first annual meeting agree?

IF Martin Broughton had any doubts about the size of the shoes he was stepping into at British Airways, he found out last Tuesday. The death of Lord King, former chairman and architect of the airline’s privatisation, made the main evening news on television.

Broughton had told me about King’s passing just hours earlier, in his own characteristically low-key way. He hadn’t mentioned it until I was almost leaving, then said: “There is one more thing — Lord King died today, and I feel I should say something about that.

“The airline owes him a great debt, he took us through the privatisation process with Colin Marshall, and he and Colin got the service ethic into the airline. He will always be remembered at BA.”

Broughton, sitting in shirtsleeves in his London office, then gave a sombre nod to show that he had finished. Spare and economical, he didn’t need to